nicole kidman

Early life and career

Nicole Kidman was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Dr Antony David Kidman and Janelle Ann MacNeille, who are of Scottish and Irish descent respectively, and were both born in Australia. At the time, her father was a cancer research specialist in Washington, D.C. The family returned to Australia when Kidman was four years old, when her father took on a lectureship at the University of Technology, Sydney. Kidman has a younger sister, Antonia, born in 1970. Kidman's parents and sister both reside in Greenwich, a suburb on Sydney's North Shore. Kidman, a Catholic, attended Mary Mackillop Chapel in North Sydney with her sister.

Kidman started taking ballet lessons when she was four. This led to studies at Sydney's Australian Theatre for Young People, where she is now Patron, then at the Philip Street Theatre, where she majored in voice production and theatre history. Living in Longueville, New South Wales, she studied at North Sydney Girls High School, but dropped out when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer; Kidman concentrated on her family responsibilities until her mother's recovery.

Her first appearance on film came in 1983 when, as a 15-year-old, she appeared in the Pat Wilson music video for the song "Bop Girl". By the end of the year she had secured a supporting role in the television series Five Mile Creek and four film roles, including BMX Bandits and Bush Christmas. During the 1980s she appeared in several Australian movies and TV series, notably including the soap opera A Country Practice, the mini-series Vietnam (1986), Emerald City (1988), and Bangkok Hilton (1989).

Hollywood career

In 1989 she appeared in the thriller Dead Calm as Rae, the wife of naval officer John Ingram (Sam Neill), held captive on a Pacific Ocean yacht trip by the psychotic Hughie Warriner (Billy Zane). In 1990 she appeared opposite Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder, a stock car racing movie. After this, Kidman starred with Cruise in Ron Howard's Far and Away (1992). In 1995 Kidman featured in the ensemble cast of Batman Forever and later that year starred in To Die For, a satirical comedy that earned her praise from critics. She won a Golden Globe Award, and five other best actress awards for her portrayal of the murderous newscaster Suzanne Stone Maretto. Kidman and Cruise portrayed a married couple in Eyes Wide Shut in 1999, Stanley Kubrick's final film.

In 2002 Kidman received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in the 2001 film Moulin Rouge!, in which she played the courtesan Satine opposite Ewan McGregor. The same year she had a well-received starring role in the horror film The Others. While in Australia filming Moulin Rouge!, Kidman injured her knee, so that Jodie Foster had to replace her in the film Panic Room. The following year Kidman won critical praise for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours, in which the prosthetics applied to her made her almost unrecognizable. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for this role, along with a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and numerous critics awards. In the same year she took a hand at film production for the film In the Cut. In 2003, Kidman starred in three very different films. Dogville, by Danish director Lars von Trier, an experimental film set on a bare soundstage. Secondly, she co-starred alongside Anthony Hopkins in the film adaptation of Philip Roth's novel The Human Stain. Many critics felt that both Kidman and Hopkins were miscast. Cold Mountain, a love story of two Southerners separated by the Civil War, was her final release that year, and garnered her a Golden Globe Award nomination.

In 2004, Kidman appeared in the critically panned remake of The Stepford Wives alongside Glenn Close, Faith Hill and Bette Midler. In September of the same year, Birth, in which the 37-year-old actress' character has an encounter with a 10-year-old boy (played by Cameron Bright) who attempts to convince her that he is a reincarnation of her dead husband, was met with a mixed reception primarily due to a scene where the boy strips and joins Kidman in the bathtub. Despite this, the film was nominated for the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, and Kidman was nominated for another Golden Globe Award. Kidman's two movies in 2005 were The Interpreter, directed by Sydney Pollack, and Bewitched, co-starring Will Ferrell, based on the 1960s TV sitcom of the same name, which fared abysmally with critics and at the box office.

Personal life

Kidman met Tom Cruise on the set of their 1990 movie, Days of Thunder. Cruise was married to actress Mimi Rogers at the time, and he and Kidman began an affair. Cruise divorced Rogers, and married Kidman on Christmas Eve 1990 in Telluride, Colorado. The couple adopted two children, daughter Isabella Jane (b. December 22, 1993) and son Connor Antony (b. January 17, 1995), and lived in Los Angeles, Australia, Colorado, and New York City. Cruise left Kidman while she was three months pregnant, just before their 10th wedding anniversary. She subsequently had a miscarriage.^[1]. The marriage was dissolved in 2001. The reasons for the dissolution have never been made public.

The 2003 film Cold Mountain was plagued by rumors that an on-set affair between Kidman and co-star Jude Law was responsible for the breakup of his marriage. Both vehemently denied the allegations, and Kidman eventually won an undisclosed sum from the British tabloids that pushed the story. She donated the money to a Romanian orphanage in the town where the movie was filmed. Shortly after her Oscar win, there were rumours of a relationship between her and fellow Oscar winner Adrien Brody. There was no confimation or denial. She met musician Lenny Kravitz in 2003 and dated him into 2004.

Kidman met country singer Keith Urban at a Hollywood event honouring Australians in January 2005. Kidman and Urban were married on Sunday June 25, 2006, at the Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel in the grounds of St Patrick's Estate, Manly in Sydney.

Politics

Kidman took out an advertisement in the Los Angeles Times (August 17, 2006) that condemned organizations Hamas and Hezbollah, and supported Israel's efforts in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. The full-page advertisement was signed by 84 other Hollywood professionals and reads “We the undersigned are pained and devastated by the civilian casualties in Israel and Lebanon caused by terrorist actions initiated by terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas. If we do not succeed in stopping terrorism around the world, chaos will rule and innocent people will continue to die. We need to support democratic societies and stop terrorism at all costs.”

Others that signed include actors Michael Douglas, Dennis Hopper, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Danny DeVito, Don Johnson, James Woods, Kelly Preston, Patricia Heaton and William Hurt; directors Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Michael Mann, Richard Donner and Sam Raimi; as well as tennis player Serena Williams.[2]

Kidman has made numerous donations to U.S. Democratic party candidates. [3]

Charitable work

Kidman publicly supports a variety of charities and causes. She has been a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF Australia since 1994. She has worked to help raise money for and draw attention to the plight of the most disadvantaged children in Australia and around the world. In (2004) she was honoured as a "Citizen of the World" by the United Nations.

On January 26, 2006 Kidman received Australia's highest civilian honour when she was made a Companion of the Order of Australia, both for her service to performing arts and for her charitable work. She was also nominated goodwill ambassador for UNIFEM. [4]

Kidman joined the 'Little Tee Campaign' for Breast Cancer Care to design T-shirts or vests to raise money for breast cancer.[5] Kidman's mother, Janelle, is a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed in 1984.[6]

Movies in production

Kidman has at least five movies in production over the next two years. She just finished filming the Diane Arbus bio-pic Fur, director Oliver Hirschbiegel's science fiction movie The Visiting and Noah Baumbach's as-yet-untitled next movie, a comedy-drama. She has also provided her voice for the animated movie Happy Feet. She will also play villainous Mrs. Coulter in the film adaptation of the His Dark Materials trilogy which starts shooting in September. She is also set to star in director Wong Kar-wai's next film, The Lady from Shanghai and Baz Luhrmann's yet-to-be titled Australian period film, which has been delayed due to schedule conflicts.

Singing

Not known as a singer prior to Moulin Rouge!, Kidman had several well received vocal performances in the film. Her collaboration with Ewan McGregor on the song "Come What May" from the film's soundtrack debuted and peaked at 27 in the UK Singles Chart. Later she collaborated with Robbie Williams on the song "Somethin' Stupid", a cover of the old swing song on Williams' swing covers album Swing When You're Winning. It debuted and peaked at 8 in the Australian ARIAnet Singles Chart, and at number 1 for three weeks in the UK. It was the UK Christmas number 1 Single for 2001.

Trivia

• Kidman is the current face of the Chanel No. 5 perfume brand. She starred in a campaign of television and print ads with Rodrigo Santoro, directed by Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann to promote the fragrance during the holiday season in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
• Kidman holds the record for the most money paid per minute to an actor after she earned a reported $US3.71 million for a four-minute commercial for Chanel No. 5 perfume^[2].
• Kidman is listed as the 45th Most Powerful Celebrity on the 2005 Forbes Celebrity 100 List. She made a reported US$14.5 million in 2004-2005.
• On People magazine's list of 2005's highest paid actresses, Kidman was second behind Julia Roberts with a US$16 million to US$17 million per-film price tag.[7]
• In January 2005, Kidman won interim restraining orders against two Sydney-based paparazzi photographers.
• Kidman is an avid supporter of the Sydney Swans Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and attends many live matches. Her favourite player is Barry Hall. [8]
• Kidman's natural hair colour is light red.
• The song "BMX Bandits" by pop/rock group Wheatus is about her movie of the same name. The video features a cartoon drawing that resembles her.

Filmography

• BMX Bandits (1983)
• Bush Christmas (1983)
• Wills & Burke (1985)
• Archer's Adventure (1985)
• Windrider (1986)
• Watch the Shadows Dance (1987)
• The Bit Part (1987)
• Emerald City (1988)
• Dead Calm (1989)
• Bangkok Hilton (1989)
• Days of Thunder (1990)
• Flirting (1991)
• Billy Bathgate (1991)
• Far and Away (1992)
• Malice (1993)
• My Life (1993)
• To Die For (1995)
• Batman Forever (1995)
• The Leading Man (1996)
• The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
• The Peacemaker (1997)
• Practical Magic (1998)
• Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
• Moulin Rouge! (2001)
• The Others (2001)
• Birthday Girl (2001)
• The Hours (2002)
• Dogville (2003)
• The Human Stain (2003)
• Cold Mountain (2003)
• The Stepford Wives (2004)
• Birth (2004)
• The Interpreter (2005)
• Bewitched (2005)

Upcoming

• Fur (2006) [completed]
• Happy Feet (2006) (voice) [completed]
• The Visiting (2007) [completed]
• Untitled Noah Baumbach Movie (2007) [completed]
• His Dark Materials (film) (2007) [filming]
• Untitled Baz Luhrmann Project (2007) [pre-production]
• The Lady from Shanghai (2008) [announced]
• Headhunters (2008) [announced]

Television work

• Skin Deep (1983)
• Chase Through the Night (1983)
• Five Mile Creek (1983-1985)
• Matthew and Son (1984)
• Winners (1985) (miniseries)
• Room to Move (1987)
• An Australian in Rome (1987)
• Vietnam (1987) (miniseries)
• Bangkok Hilton (1989) (miniseries)

Discography

• "Come What May" Single (Duet with Ewan McGregor - October 2001) UK #27
• "Somethin' Stupid" Single (Duet with Robbie Williams - December 2001) UK #1

Awards

Academy Awards

• 2003 - Best Actress in a Leading Role for The Hours

Berlin International Film Festival

• 2003 - Silver Berlin Bear for Best Actress for The Hours

Boston Society of Film Critics

• 1995 - Best Actress for To Die For

British Academy of Film and Television Arts:

• 2003 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for The Hours

Broadcast Film Critics Association

• 1996 - Best Actress for To Die For

Golden Globe Awards:

• 2003 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for The Hours
• 2002 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for Moulin Rouge!
• 1996 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for To Die For

Kansas City Film Critics Circle

• 2002 - Best Actress for The Others

Las Vegas Film Critics Society

• 2003 - Best Actress for The Hours

MTV Movie Awards:

• 2002 - Best Female Performance for Moulin Rouge!
• 2002 - Best Musical Sequence for Moulin Rouge!

Prestige Academy of Motion Pictures

• 2004 - Best Ensemble Cast Performance for Dogville *(shared with the rest of the cast)
• 2003 - Best Ensemble Cast Performance for Cold Mountain *(shared with the rest of the cast)
• 2003 - Distinguished Decade in Film
• 2002 - Best Actress for The Hours
• 2001 - Best Actress for Moulin Rouge!
• 2001 - Best Musical Sequence for Moulin Rouge!
• 1995 - Best Actress for To Die For

Seattle International Film Festival

• 1995 - Best Actress for To Die For

ShoWest Convention

• 2002 - Distinguished Decade of Achievement in Film
• 1992 - Female Star of Tomorrow

In 2003, Kidman received her Star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California. In addition to those accolades, Kidman has received Best Actress awards from the following critics' groups or award giving organizations: Australian Film Institute, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Empire Awards, Golden Satellite Awards, Hollywood Film Festival, London Critics Circle, Russian Guild of Film Critics, and the Southeastern Film Critics Association.

Awards nominated for

Academy Awards:

• Best Actress in a Leading Role Moulin Rouge (2002)

Golden Globe Awards:

• Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama Birth (2005)
• Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama Cold Mountain (2004)
• Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama The Others (2002)
• Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Billy Bathgate (1992)

BAFTA:

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role The Others (2002)
• Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role To Die For (1996)

Screen Actors Guild:

• Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role The Hours (2003)
• Best Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture The Hours (2003)
• Best Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Moulin Rouge (2002)

In 2003, Kidman was given the American Cinematheque Award.

References

External links

• Nicole Kidman at the Internet Movie Database